Remembering Naushad, Lata Mangeshkar [Images] said that he would experiment a lot with his music in his films and not only gave new faces a chance but also helped shape their careers.

"Naushad launched Uma Devi with the hit Afsana likh rahi hoon and later advised her to make a career in films, re-christening her as Tuntun. She went on to become very popular as a comedy artist," Mangeshkar said, adding that even though he predominantly used classical music in his films, the compositions were relatively simple so the common man could understand and enjoy them.

Naushad: Tuntun made people laugh all the time

Music composer Uttam Singh said that, with Naushad's death, the curtains have come down on a generation of classical music in the film industry. "He was an institution. His last work in Akbar Khan's Taj Mahal [Images] is a hit," he said, adding that the composer's death was a personal loss to him.

Noted actress of yesteryears, Saira Banu, said her husband Dilip Kumar [Images] and she shared a lovely friendship with Naushad. "We were expecting to take him to Pakistan where two of his films, Taj Mahal and Mughal-e-Azam are being released," she said.